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Some See 'Sex' in the Clouds of 'Lion King'

By PETER M. NICHOLS

Published: September 2, 1995

After a Virginia-based anti-abortion organization complained that the word "sex" appeared spelled out in a cloud during the Disney animated film "The Lion King," a spokesman for the organization said yesterday that the word was so difficult to detect that it might not be construed as a word at all.

"It's kind of iffy," said Rodney Miller of the American Life League, which is based in Stafford, Va. "Some people see a cloud, kind of wavy lines. It's hard to see even if you slow it down."

On Thursday the league called for the Walt Disney Company to remove the best-selling videocassette of the film from stores because of the scene, which, Mr. Miller said, was noticed by a 4-year-old boy whose aunt reported his observation to the league.

He said that he and other league officials then studied a tape of the scene looking for the word, whose letters allegedly take form in a cloud of dust raised by Simba, the lion, when he jumps off a cliff.

"I don't know if anyone saw it right off," he said. "I can say that I didn't when I first saw it. But I did after a while, after running it back and forth."

The league has also objected to other Disney films. In April the group mounted a mail campaign against the film "Priest," which depicts gay priests. "Priest" is distributed by Miramax, which is owned by Disney.

Rick Rhoades, a Disney spokesman, said that in "The Lion King" what appeared to some to be a word was "nothing more than a perception."

He added that the company had no plans to withdraw the video. "We can guarantee there's no symbolism, no sordid imagery," he said.

Mr. Miller acknowledged that Disney might not have known about the alleged word in the film. "I'm not implying they did it on purpose," he said. "It could be a joke, who knows?"

Last year, some viewers said they detected fleeting sex-related scenes in a laser disk version of Disney's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." Mr. Miller said the same thing could have happened in the case of "The Lion King." "It's known that animators like to leave a niche, a little mark," he said.